Under Your Skin
by itslivinginallofus
Summary: Based on the Quincenera episode: what happens if when Alex and Theresa switch bodies, Theresa inadvertently learns some things about Alex she never expected? Halex. HarperxAlex. Femslash.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I do not own Wizards of Waverly Place.**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello, lovelies! Thanks for choosing to read this! In order to maximize your (hopeful) enjoyment and all-around understanding, I want to explain a few things. This fic is based around the WoWP season 1 episode "Quinceñera" where Alex uses a spell to switch bodies with her mom, Theresa, so that her mom can have the quinceñera she never got to have and so that Alex doesn't have to have one. Since this involves Theresa and Alex in each other's bodies, I have tried to be as clear as possible with explaining who is who and in what body (hah, confusing just saying it!) especially since there is a difference between their private thoughts and how others perceive them. PLEASE let me know if anything is unclear so I can consider rephrasing for clarification purposes. **

**Enjoy!**

Theresa hated to admit it, but in a weird way, she was actually starting to get excited about this.

At first when she stood in front of the mirror and saw the reflection of her 15-year-old daughter staring confusedly back at her, her own actions and those of the Alex image being one in the same, she felt a dizziness and terror that no other phenomenon could provoke.

Fear, confusion, anger -- Alex had reached new heights of breaking the rules this time. But the more she let the teenager attempt to reason with her, the more it sounded like less and less of a train wreck than she originally thought. Even if they slipped "out of character" once or twice, who (aside from maybe Justin, Max, and Jerry, who would be the _real _problem, but she knew she could calm him down eventually) would ever jump to the conclusion that they had actually switched bodies?

Besides, Theresa reminded herself that if there was anyone she knew, it was Alex. Aside from her husband, her daughter was the one person in the world that she not only had the opportunity to observe on a daily basis, but the insight as her mother to know not only her outward mannerisms but also her internal make-up as well. Theresa smiled as it occurred to her that keeping Alex happy and getting the quinceñera she never got to have would be easier than she originally thought!

Just as she was perfectly centering the tiara in her hair, the door to her dressing room was flung open. It was Alex's best friend, Harper -- no, wait -- "her" best friend, Harper. She figured she should tone down her excitement since she knew Alex had told Harper she wasn't exactly jumping at the thought of a quinceñera, and she wanted to be as convincing as possible.

Before she could turn around, Harper grabbed "Alex" from behind, spun her around, and placed an unmistakably romantic kiss on "Alex's" lips. Internally, Theresa panicked, having no idea how to react.

"Harper! What are you -" she began to ask.

"It's okay, your mom's helping your grandma with the tablecloths," the auburn-haired teenager assured who she thought was her girlfriend, pulling her in for another kiss.

Theresa stood there in a paralyzed shock, barely able to process what was happening let alone move. She was snapped back to reality, however, when Harper's tongue pushed its way into "Alex's" mouth, she knew this needed to stop.

"Whoa! Harper, don't. You - uh, you know how my mom is, she stays busy for a minute and then comes back to panic and check on me, because this quince… thingy… means so much to her," 'Alex' barely managed.

Instead of her usual gullible and compliant response, Harper's eyes looked downcast and sad. "

"This sucks," Harper exhaled in a sad voice, "It's bad enough I can't be with you in public on such a special day, but even in private now, too?"

Theresa was still so dumbfounded and in a slow state of denial and registering things that she couldn't think of what to say.

"Harper…" was the best that 'Alex' could manage.

"Don't worry about it. I'll just see you out there," Harper said in not the most convincing tone before leaving the room.

Theresa had to sit down, being startled all over again by the reflection of Alex in the mirror. She studied the face of her daughter in the mirror through her own eyes, feeling newly distant from her even thought she was currently occupying her "shell."

Maybe she didn't know Alex as well as she thought…

**PLEASE review! I'm in my last month of college, and updates will come more quickly if I feel they're worth the time! No pressure :-p**


	2. Chapter 2

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: For those of you reading, if any left, I humbly express the deepest of gratitude for your patience. Since beginning this story, I've graduated from college, moved into my 1st apartment, and taken on a full-time and a part-time job. More work/play juggling anticipated in the future, but hopefully I will take you on a ride worth staying on regardless of the bumps along the way. Endless love to you all 3**

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I own nothing related to Wizards of Waverly Place. If I did, it'd go a little something like this...**

When the clock struck 1:15, Alex was officially freaked out. For as flighty and flaky as Harper could be, she was _never _late and _never _canceled plans without a legitimate reason.

The quinceñera had come and gone, Alex and Theresa had switched back, and one of them was still plagued by silent thoughts while the other remained completely clueless. Theresa had yet to mention to Alex what happened, barely having wrapped her head around the situation let alone knowing how she was going to bring everything up or what she was going to say.

As far as Theresa knew, her daughter had always been boy crazy… or she _liked _boys anyway. The more she thought about it, the more red flags began to surface that Theresa had completely overlooked: Alex never wanting to be alone with boys, being reluctant to kiss boys, having trouble admitting feelings for boys -- everything that Alex did as far as the opposite sex was concerned seemed to be more as an attempt to be normal or acceptable rather than any genuine feelings. Her categorical contempt for anything feminine didn't help, either.

Suddenly, this was something Theresa couldn't deny or justify as something other than what it obviously was -- her daughter was in a romantic relationship with another girl, and Theresa had no idea how to feel or what to do.

Meanwhile, Alex was pacing her bedroom, becoming more and more anxious each time Harper's cell went to voicemail. At first, she thought something was seriously wrong, and in an attempt to calm herself down, rationalized that even though it was unlikely, maybe Harper had forgotten about their plans to go to a movie. After all, they hadn't gotten a chance to talk during or after the quinceñera. Then it occurred to Alex that she didn't' remember seeing Harper at _all _at the quinceñera after she helped her get ready. Was Harper mad at her? She racked her brain for something she may have inadvertently said or done to upset Harper, and she did admit that she was being really cranky and short before she and her mom made the switch. Maybe that's why Harper wouldn't return her calls.

Against Alex's better judgment, she called Harper's house phone against constant reminders from Harper not to do so. Part of the reason the two girls had become so close and spent so much time together was because Harper's home was a less than supportive and loving environment to say the least. Her parents were both alcoholics who fought constantly, and even though Harper had dared to tell them about she and Alex, they responded to the news with a hostile indifference, which in the grand scheme of things didn't change things much since that's how her parents had always been. Still, it had been a big deal since Harper risked a lot more than just indifference from her always angry parents, and even though Alex knew that Harper's parents weren't her biggest fans, she needed to know what was going on.

"Yeah?" Harper's mom answered.

"Hi, Mrs. Finkle, it's Alex. Is Harper home? We had plans to see a movie, and Harper was going to meet me here 20 minutes ago. I'm worried about her," Alex spat out nervously.

Mrs. Finkle's response was bitter and aggravated. "Well, don't go organizing any search parties, Harper is here with us. And I'm pretty sure that her not taking your calls wasn't a cue to try and reach her on the house phone. So, don't call again!"

Alex's heart plunged at an alarming rate into her gut as the fear of losing her girlfriend and best friend sunk in. Not even a full second passed before she hit the "End" button on her phone, and all judgment was lost. She immediately began composing a new text message, desperate to get Harper to tell her what was wrong.

"_why wont u talk 2 me??? u had me wrried sick & now u wont even tell me whats wrong!" _Alex frantically typed in and sent.

5 or so minutes passed before Alex finally received a reply from Harper. _"U just thot I would forget abt yesterday and evrything would be fine? I can't do this anymore, esp if u can act like my feelings mean nothing."_

Upon opening the text message, all other words blurred out of focus except _"I can't do this anymore"_ and Alex panicked as she re-read the text message in its entirety.

_"no babe pls don't do this, i dont even knw what i did wrong! just tell me & i will fix it, was it bcuz i was in a bad mood b4 the party? i'm so sry, i cant lose u."_ Alex replied, anxious to reason with the girl who meant everything to her.

"_So evry time ur in a bad mood, its ok for u to push me off when i try 2 kiss u? Or is it b'cuz your rents knowing that we're 2gether would be the worst thing in the world? I can't be ur secret anymore. It hurts 2 much."_

Now more confused than ever, Alex was wondering if she had gone crazy. She had only gotten to see Harper for a grand total of 5 or so minutes before the quinceñera, and they hadn't gotten a chance to kiss. Unless... wait.

As the realization began to hit her, Alex's face turned a ghastly shade of white, and only one thought resonated in her head:

_.._

Her mom... Harper... oh God, _kiss?!_

After dropping her phone, Alex scrambled to pick it up again, reopening the text message to make sure she read right.

_Wait, wait. TRY to kiss you_, she read to herself, emphasizing "try."

The teenager's head began to spin as she realized that she truly had no idea of exactly what happened. She couldn't respond to Harper if she didn't know what to say, but not texting back would look even worse. All she could really do was bide her time until she had a better idea of what happened -- if that would ever come to pass.

_"look pls just come over l8er whenev u want. let me make it up 2 u, i promise i'll make things better & i do care abt the way u feel. it'll be diffrnt i promise."_

A few moments later, the reply text came back. "_Fine. But this is ur last chance, Alex. I rly can't get hurt anymore."_

Alex breathed a sigh that was a mixture of relief and contempt. Her next step was a little less thought out, and she had no choice but to consider the gravity of Harper not responding well to her pleas for them to stay together.

She walked downstairs to the sub station where her mom was preparing orders to go out. She looked at her mother, knowing all the plans she had always made clear for her daughter -- how she'd dress, what she'd become, who she'd marry -- all characteristics that did not line up with who Alex inherently was. She knew that if Harper had made it clear that they were involved romantically, her mom wouldn't have been able to resist flying off the handle. At least so she thought.

"Hey, Mom, how's it going?" Alex attempted at cheer.

Likewise, Theresa internally surveyed her daughter's behavior. "I'm great," she feigned oblivion, but noticed how sad Alex's eyes were under the pretend happiness. "What about you, Honey? You look upset, is everything okay?"

A little more water testing. "Yeah. Just kind of in a fight with Harper."

Theresa used everything in her to retain her guise, knowing very well that she likely caused the fight Alex spoke of. Still, she remained quiet, knowing that Alex was too emotive and rebellious to keep to herself had she known that Theresa caused this fight. At least so she thought. "A fight? You guys gonna be okay?"

"Yeah," Alex breathed deeply, trying to push the envelope further for some sort of revealing reaction. "Just... stupid stuff about.. boys."

Even more than before, Theresa willed herself to grasp hold of that composure before blurting out what she knew and delving into territory not yet explored. "I know you two will work things out. You always do."

Alex managed a grin. "I hope so."

As Theresa watched Alex walk upstairs, her troubled thoughts no longer centered around the clash of the desired and actual life paths that her daughter walked, but instead the fact that her own child couldn't go to her -- couldn't trust her -- even in times of immense pain, self-discovery, and confusion. Theresa knew she wasn't perfect, but she had always consoled herself with the supposed fact that her children could always tell her anything, no matter what. Clearly, this proved to be false, and it was a harder pill to swallow than anything had ever been. The focus now needed to move toward not hindering, but helping, Alex, starting with her relationship with Harper.

Or was it too late?

**Reviews? Please? More to come soon (hopefully!) XOXO**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I own nothing pertaining to Wizards of Waverly Place. If I did, it would go a little something like this...**

Alex Russo was not one to beg. She was a bottom line, take-me-or-leave-me girl, or at least she was when everyone was looking. The one person she would beg for (or do anything for, really) was the one person who always took the initiative to look below the surface and see her for everything she really was. Harper had an unparalleled capability to bring out a sensitivity and softness in Alex that no one else could, and the thought of losing her drove the Latina to a point of near panic.

The moment she was both waiting for and dreading finally came to pass when Harper came through the front door of the sub station while Alex was helping load the dishwasher. She immediately dropped what she was doing and darted toward Harper as if pulled by a magnetic force.

"Hey," she whispered, feeling that lowering her voice made things more intimate even though others could still hear her. "I'm so glad you're here."

Her abrupt departure of course did not go unnoticed by Jerry, who even as her own father, never really understood her much. "Hey! You're not done here, Alex!"

"Uh, I'll do it later, Dad, this is important, plus you know me, allergic to work, it's good to take it in small doses" Alex spat out in her usual fashion before taking Harper by the hand and dashing up the stairs.

Before Jerry could protest, Theresa knew the least she could do was calm the storm. "Jerry, let her go, she and Harper need to work some things out."

As Theresa watched the two girls walk upstairs, her heart sank in being able to visibly see the fragmented dynamic of their relationship and knowing that she was at least partially to blame. The guilt that had been weighing on her as of late was unbearable, but she still didn't know if it was enough to truly accept a path for her daughter that she didn't know how to navigate.

Meanwhile upstairs, Alex cautiously led Harper over to the bed to sit down. The air was nervous, but secretly they both wanted things fix -- the question was whether they could be or not.

"Is it okay... if I hug you?" Alex dared to ask.

As afraid of Harper was of getting hurt, she still had one last lingering faith in the fact that she would find comfort in Alex's arms. Alex leaned against the headboard of the bed and wrapped her arms around Harper's waist from behind, knowing it was Harper's favorite way of being held. She considered it a step in the right direction, even though the other girl was more rigid and tense than normal.

Alex tucked a piece of auburn hair behind Harper's ear and gave it a small kiss before whispering, "I'm so sorry that I hurt you, Harper. I can't take anything back, but I can promise that I will do things differently from now on."

Harper loosened up slightly, but not completely. "How do I know you'll keep that promise?" she asked out of quiet seriousness.

Alex gave the shell of Harper's ear another kiss and then snagged it between her teeth, knowing that even though she couldn't see Harper's face, her eyes were likely rolling back at the sensation. "Because you know I can't lose you, and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure that doesn't happen."

Finally, Harper relaxed fully back, allowing herself to rest her head back on Alex's shoulder. She wasn't fully convinced yet, but they were certainly getting there.

Suddenly, Theresa entered with only a brief knock as a precursor. Still not knowing exactly what her mother knew, Alex jumped from her spot on the bed, pacing in front of it uncomfortably, and worried that she may have risked everything she had just built with Harper.

"Hi, girls -" Theresa began.

"Mom, please, we're in the middle of an important conversation," Alex insisted, damned if she was going to let her mom blow this for her now.

Theresa took another step forward, needing a few more moments if she were to make things right. "I, uh, just wanted to come tell you and Harper in person, together, that I couldn't be happier to give you both my blessing," she exhaled.

Harper looked curiously at Alex, and Alex looked just as baffled at Theresa. It sounded pretty straightforward, but even in its bluntness, Alex wasn't so sure.

"Your blessing?" Alex asked to clarify that she had heard correctly.

Theresa took another step forward, trying to stress what she was saying without giving Alex an outright verbal cue as to what she was trying to do. "Well, I know I didn't quite know how to react at first, but I did some thinking, and I know that Harper is one of the family already so I know we can trust her, and when it comes down to it, you being happy is good enough for me."

Before Alex even had time to begin processing her shock, Harper startled her by grabbing onto her arm affectionately.

"You told your mom?" Harper beamed excitedly, prompting Alex to lock eyes with Theresa and Theresa to subtly nod to give Alex clearance to respond affirmatively. Harper threw her arms around Alex in a tight embrace. "You really are going to make things different this time. This is the happiest I've been in a long time."

Alex's knees almost weakened completely at the disbelief of the entire moment. Relief at having Harper back indefinitely, shock at her mother standing in her corner. If there were ever such thing as a perfect moment, this definitely came close.

Theresa cleared her throat to speak up. "Well, I'm going to go downstairs and help your father before he fires us both from the family business," she said, overwhelmed herself at what she had just done.

Before she turned to leave though, she felt a hand on her shoulder from behind. She turned around to accept a tight hug from Harper, who almost knocked her over.

"Thank you so much for accepting us. You have no idea what this means to us," Harper said, near tears.

Theresa looked into Harper's eyes and then over her head into Alex's shimmering brown eyes that she was often told near matched her own.

She exhaled deeply. "I think I might have some idea."

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: I updated quick(ish) this time! Reviews?? There's at least one chapter left, so stay tuned!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: Sadly, I do not own Wizards of Waverly Place. If I did, it would go a little something like this... **

Spring and Manhattan collided the next day like oppositely-charged magnets, merging and creating a fusion of relentless rain. The city that never sleeps was begrudgingly forced to bed due to power outages, street flooding, and slick roads threatening to wreak havoc.

Alex sat at her bedroom window, the unyielding downpour being reflected in her brown eyes. Occasionally, the dull glow of her cell phone display screen would illuminate her face as she exchanged texts with Harper, who was called home earlier that day, before the blackout, to do housework. Their texts were infrequent as to conserve battery, so the ones that were sent were extra thoughtful to tide them over as they celebrated their rekindled romance.

_"I wish I could be there w/ u rite now. I'm hooked on the way u make me feel. I never knew nething could feel this good," _Harper sent, causing a genuine smile to form on Alex's face upon receipt.

_"me 2, gorgeous. i'm so lucky 2 have u and i love u very much_," Alex replied, surprising even herself at how poetic the often misunderstood girl could make her feel.

Her words were a true reflection of how happy and grateful she felt to have things with Harper be so good again, but she couldn't help but silently dwell on a feeling of uncertainty regarding her mother and how everything happened. On paper, it all looked good, but there was still something that didn't feel quite right.

Downstairs, Theresa was bearing a similar burden, and since that she was the adult of the two, she would likely have to be the one to take the initiative to clear the air. Her only fear was that in bringing reality back into the scenario that she would hinder the progress that took a vast amount of courage and effort to create.

From behind her, Alex heard a knock on the open door and turned around to see her mother carrying a lit candle she had brought due the power outage.

"Can I sit down? We need to talk," Theresa said, inhaling a tense breath and shakily exhaling it out.

"Sure," Alex offered. "About what?"

"About the whole you and Harper thing," Theresa clarified.

Alex raised her eyebrow skeptically. "Okay," she began. "I thought we had your blessing."

"You do. But unfortunately it's not that simple," Theresa said honestly.

"Why not?" Alex asked, feeling suddenly defensive.

"Because this is a bigger issue than you and Harper, which as much as I'm going to try to accept, I'm going to have questions and fears that won't change overnight. But more than that, this is about you feeling like you need to protect yourself from me. I'm your mother, I should be protecting you!"

"Well, that's not how it feels sometimes! You barely let a day go by without making me feel like I'm not up to your standards -- not girly enough, not motivated enough.... you've never even asked me what I want and what my motivations are," Alex countered, her protectiveness fully kicking in.

"Alex, I would do things differently if I could, but if I didn't make it clear then, I'm making it clear now that I want to know from now on," Theresa replied, knowing that all she could count on was the present. "You have been hiding things from me, and it's been tearing us apart."

"That's easy for you to say, you're not the one that has to hide things!"

They were both standing now, face to face, physically elevating along with the tension of the conversation.

Theresa sighed deeply, knowing they would never get through this conversation if everything they said was contested by the other. "Alex, I'm not blaming you. I just…" she paused to breathe deeply, waiting for the single tear that insisted upon falling made its way down her cheek. "I just want us to be close again."

Even in the darkness, it was obvious that Alex was trembling, out of fear or anger, Theresa wasn't sure which, but the emotion was apparent in the teenage girl's voice when she spoke. "Then why bring this up now after stepping in and making me feel like you actually supported me?"

Theresa sighed deeply. This was not going how she hoped it would. "I do support you -"

" - And on the topic of keeping things from one another, why didn't you tell me as soon as you knew that Harper and I were together?"

"Alex, I told you _the next day! _I just needed a little time!" Theresa fought back.

"Why, though? Why did you need time? It's not like you found out I killed someone! Why is it a big deal at all if I'm gay?" Alex questioned, the words seeming to resonate with echo and reverberation, bouncing off the walls and filling the sound waves to their capacity. The actual word "gay", so permanent and blunt, had yet to come up, and now that it had, an equally heavy silence hung in the balance for several seconds afterward.

Since Theresa remained silent, Alex continued. "Do you have any idea how stressful it is to hide all the time, even for a day? To lie about stupid little things just to remove any suspicion so that no one will find out?"

"You don't have to lie or hide anymore."

"That doesn't give back all the time I did spend feeling scared and out of place in my own house! It doesn't make up for every night I went to bed feeling like no one in this family understands me!"

"You don't think I know that? You don't think I'm going to have to live every day in regret that I let that much time slip away because I was too afraid to find out that my daughter may be pursuing a way of life that I can't relate to? I'll never forgive myself for that!" Theresa all but shouted in a frantic need to get through to her daughter.

Alex folded her arms across her chest, wanting so badly to believe that what her mother was saying was the truth. But her guard had been so firmly set in place that she wasn't going to let the remainder of it down until she knew it was completely safe. "So, you're not going to keep dropping hints about your friends' handsome sons or how Justin's dork friends are actually nice guys to try and break Harper and I up?"

Theresa would never admit it, but for a split second, she clung to a possible hope that her daughter could have the easier, more conventional life that she spoke of. She knew, however, that to show that relief, even a shred of it, would drive a wedge between she and Alex forever.

"No, I won't. Because even then, it wouldn't be over," Theresa said.

"How do you figure that?" Alex asked.

"Because," she began, "you're gay with or without Harper." There was that word again, but time, anything that had made it seem intimidating before had faded and given way to a deeper, compassionate understanding.

If it weren't for the flash of lightening outside at that exact moment, Theresa may have missed it, but for the first time in longer than she could remember, the softness returned to Alex's eyes. The barriers they had built to keep one another out so long ago were quickly and suddenly disappearing, and Alex was overwhelmed with visible emotion.

Alex fell into her mother's arms, their first genuine hug in years. The power of their embrace reverted them to a sitting position on the bed, and they held each other and cried, making a non-verbal understanding that the past could only be learned from.

While the rest of New York submerged further into complete darkness, one room in one house finally saw the light.

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Well, my darling readers, this story has come to a long-awaited end. Your reviews on this piece have been particularly detailed, kind, and for me, frankly breathtaking, and I hope my words bring to light the adequate amount of gratefulness that I feel toward all of you. I hope to chat with all of you personally via private message as soon as possible. Please review as you feel compelled, and if you want to read more in the future, set me on Author Alert so we can go on another journey together soon.**

**All my love,**

**Laura**


End file.
